Improvement in tents



l. B. SMITH.

Tents. No. 143,037, Patented September23,1873.

Fig 1 Fig.2: 3

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WITNESSES. SAW W U g2 2 D INVENTOR'.

AMP/M70 -U7H06'/7APHIC Co. A! X (mo/was muss) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOSIAH B. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN TENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,037, dated September 23, 1873; application filed July 23, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSIAH B. SMITH, of the city of Chicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tents, of which the following is a full description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation; Fig. 2, an end view of the box closed; and Fig. 3, a plan view of the open box in position to form the floor of the tent.

My invention consists in making a tent which has a floor, the latter consisting of a box in which the canvas portion of the tent, fishing-rods and tackle, guns, and other articles, can be packed for transportation.

In the drawings, A B represent the two parts of a box, hinged together in the usual manner; and O, the canvas portion of the tent. In Figs. 1 and 3 the box is open so as to form a floor for the tent. The canvas 0 corresponds in size at the bottom with the size of the open box or floor, and is attached to the box by means of holes in the canvas, and pins 0 upon the outer edges of the box, as represented in Fig. 1. In the center of the open box or floor may be provided a hole, a, to receive the lower end of the center-pole b, to which the point of the tent will be secured in any suitable manner.

I do not limit myself to this particular form of tent. It is evident that various forms may be used with the box to form a floorfor example, a so-called wall-tent might be used, suitable stakes being provided at the corners of the box, or inserted through the holes d in the bottom thereof, around which the wall portion of the tent may be placed; or a post at the center of each end of the box to support a ridge-pole, over and around which a suitable canvas may be placed to form the remaining portion of the tent.

To prevent the tent from being blown away, it can be staked as is customary.

A box about five inches deep, forty inches wide when open, and five and a halt feet long, will be large enough for a tent designed to contain from two to four persons; and this box will hold not only the canvas portion of the tent, but fishing-tackle, guns, &c. When closed it is to be secured by a'lock, and is to be provided with handles for convenience of transportation.

This tent will be found very useful for fishing, hunting, and other parties, and when in use it has the advantage of having a good board floor, away from the ground, keeping everythingdry.

I do not confine myself to the specific means described of securing the canvas to the box; in fact the tent might be used without actually connecting the lower edge of the canvas to the box. Neither do I limit myself to the form shown. The octagon form might be used, the canvas part being adapted to such form, but this would be more expensive.

Tents having dimensions considerably smaller than those above given might be made, and will be adapted to be used by children in their plays.

What I claim as new is as follows:

The box A B, constructed with respect to the superficial capacity of a tent, and adapted to be used as a support and floor to the same, and also as a receptacle for packing the tent away, substantially as described.

JOSIAH B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

E. A. WEsT, O. W. BOND. 

